Sun Protection/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Moby is reading a book. Tim calls out to him. TIM *offscreen*: Mobyyyy! TIM: Where are you, you big orange goon? Did you replace my sunscreen with sour cream? Tim walks over to Moby. Tim is badly sunburned. MOBY: Beep. Moby laughs. TIM: No, I don't think it's funny at all! I'm burned to a crisp and I smell like a baked potato. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, why should I wear sunscreen when I go outside? Sincerely, Addison. Well, the sun gives off massive amounts of radiation, only some of which you can see. In addition to visible light, it also sends out invisible ultraviolet, or UV, rays. An animation shows a chart comparing the four types of radiation: X rays, ultraviolet, visible light, and infrared. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yup, it's UV rays, not visible light, that penetrate your skin and cause you to tan or burn. There are three types of UV rays. The chart shows the three types: UVC, UVB, and UVA. TIM: UVC rays are the most powerful, but they're blocked out by the earth's ozone layer. Side-by-side animations show Tim's friend, Cassie, standing in sunlight and the sun's UVC rays bouncing off the earth's ozone layer. TIM: UVB rays affect the outer layer of your skin: the epidermis. When you're exposed to a lot of them, you get a sunburn. Side-by-side animations show Cassie getting sunburned and a close-up cross-section of skin whose outer layer gets burned by UVB rays. TIM: UVA rays, on the other hand, can penetrate much deeper. At the deepest part of your epidermis are cells called melanocytes. They produce a chemical called melanin. It's a brown pigment that darkens your skin. When UVA rays hit your melanocytes, they start producing melanin, and you get a tan! Side-by-side animations show Cassie getting tan and the UVA rays penetrating to the melanocytes in the skin cross-section. The melanocytes release melanin. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Why does that happen? Good question. UVA rays can penetrate your skin all the way down to your dermis, where your nerves and blood vessels are. If they reach down there, they can really do a lot of damage. Melanin blocks out most of these rays, and protects your skin's important structures. An image shows blood vessels below the skin. Downward arrows show the UVA ray penetration. TIM: Of course, melanin doesn't block out all UV light. Over time, too much exposure can lead to premature aging and wrinkles, as well as more serious problems, like skin cancer. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, that's why it's important to wear sunscreen! An image shows several kinds of sunscreen. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Sunscreens contain chemicals that do one of two things. The label on one of the containers shows the active ingredients in the sunscreen. TIM: They either reflect UV rays, or absorb them and re-emit them as heat. Side by side animations show the sunscreen on someone's hand reflecting UV rays, and then absorbing the UV rays resulting in the hand giving off heat. MOBY: Beep. Moby holds up a sunscreen bottle that has the number 45 on it. TIM: Right. When you buy sunscreen, you need to make sure it protects against both UVA and UVB rays. You also need to look for a number called the SPF. It stands for Sun Protection Factor, and the bigger the number, the longer the sunscreen will protect you. In order to really protect yourself, you need to wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or above. Put it on a full 30 minutes before you go outside, and make sure to reapply it every few hours. Everybody's skin is different. People will very fair skin are at a greater risk for sun damage than people with darker skin. An image shows a fair-skinned girl sitting next to a dark-skinned boy on a beach on a sunny day. TIM: So if you're naturally pale, you might need sunscreen with a higher SPF. MOBY: Beep. TIM: You can protect yourself in other ways, too. The sun is strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. So if you want to avoid getting singed, stay out of the midday sun. Cassie leaves her house as her clock shows 10:00 and returns home at 4:00 with a bad sunburn. TIM: Clouds don't protect you from UV rays, so be sure to wear sunscreen even if it's cloudy outside. You can also wear protective clothing: a hat with a broad brim can keep sunlight off your face, and long pants and sleeves can keep it off your arms and legs. Cassie is wearing a hat with a broad brim, long pants, and a shirt with sleeves while outside on a cloudy day. TIM: Since UV rays can damage your eyes, it's a good idea to wear sunglasses, too. Cassie puts on sunglasses. TIM: Make sure they offer UV protection, though. An image shows a UV protection tag on a pair of sunglasses. TIM: Anyway, I'm gonna go upstairs and put on some ointment. Tim goes upstairs while Moby's eyes dart around in a look of anticipation. TIM *offscreen*: Moby! Did you replace the ointment with cottage cheese? Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Health Transcripts